Seasonal work can help build resume

Jennifer Zakaib is a career advisor at YMCA Career Zone on Granville Street in Vancouver. She helps young people find jobs, and is standing in front of photos of hundreds of clients who have found work.

Photograph by: Jason Payne
, PNG

It's that time of year again when university students begin the hunt for the perfect summer job — one that will not only help pay next year's tuition fees, but also give them a leg up in a competitive labour market after they graduate.

Jennifer Zakaib, a career adviser at the YWCA's Career Zone in Vancouver, said students are trickling in to her office.

And, as bright and educated as many students are, the university crowd can be challenging clientele.

Landing a good job is far more likely to happen for those who've given some serious thought about the type of job they might want to do, and why they might want to do it.

Those who haven't done the ground work can expect to find the search more difficult —_not that it stops a few from trying to find a short cut.

"They look at us and say, 'just hand me a job' and we can't," Zakaib said. "They get frustrated."

Work experience — or the lack of it — is the main barrier for young job-seekers, who typically suffer higher unemployment rates than older Canadians.

In March, Statistics Canada reported that 13.9 per cent of youths between the ages of 15 and 24 were unemployed across the country — a figure nearly double the national unemployment rate of 7.2 per cent.

"A lot of job postings that we see will ask for everything. (Employers) want the education and they want the years of experience, and young people often don't have both," Zakaib said.

Tony Botelho, manager of career and volunteer services at Simon Fraser University, suggests students get the jump on their career ambitions long before they graduate.

The summer months can be used to explore career options and start building the experience and contacts they'll need when they graduate.

Those interested in the medical fields, for instance, may want to consider working in a clinic or research lab.

Others may opt for a less career-oriented job, but supplement that work with volunteer activities or by joining a club that supports their long-term aspirations.

In everything, Botelho said, students should be "maximizing their human interactions" — in other words, networking.

"Go to events, talk to parents' friends who happen to be doing something you are interested in . . . Find out what the opportunities are," he said.

"Part of our belief is that there is no one path (to career success). There is no one way that it works."

Having a presence on social media sites such as Facebook or Linked In is beneficial, Zakaib said. But curiosity and face-to-face communication will take job seekers much further toward where they want to be.

"These are the ones who are going to get the jobs at the end of the day," she said.

Zakaib said students should be reminded that B.C.'s minimum wage is set to increase to $10.25 an hour as of May 1.

For those in the restaurant industry, including waiters in licensed venues and bartenders, the minimum wage will rise to $9 an hour.

But, she said, there are many more jobs available that offer higher salaries to temporary staff, and urged students to get creative on the job hunt.

Many young workers have the advantage of offering an ease with technology that many companies are looking for. Zakaib has seen examples where young job seekers have been able to advance themselves into lucrative positions based on their abilities to sell their skills with Twitter and YouTube.

"Think, what is it that you can offer (an employer), because, at the end of the day, those companies want to make money," Zakaib said.

"We really want them to think outside the box like that or else they are going to be another resume on a pile of 50."

She also urged students to consider more than salaries when taking a summer job.

Ultimately, she said, "It's about how to make your resume look really good . . . How you can get 'leadership' or 'good team player' on the resume."

Job centres, including Career Zone, can help students tailor their resumes to better attract attention, highlight skills and identify what they can bring to the company.

SFU also offers career information online in keeping with a growing preference among its students. Among the services is a virtual interview preparation portal that is operated by webcam and career advisers who share their expertise through blogging.

Botelho said students should still feel comfortable talking with an adviser in person.

"I don't know that every student has to see someone, but the notion of work, occupations, career, how you are going to contribute to society, is quite complex. It is probably the most complex that is has ever been in history . . . Sometimes there is still a real value to have someone to help interpret different situations," he said.

Jennifer Zakaib is a career advisor at YMCA Career Zone on Granville Street in Vancouver. She helps young people find jobs, and is standing in front of photos of hundreds of clients who have found work.

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